Basic Overview - Maritime Liens and Rank

By David Bohonnon, Bohonnon Law Firm, LLC

A maritime lien, with the exception of a preferred ships mortgage, is a secret lien that arises by operation of law automatically and gives the lienholder a property right in maritime property (for example, vessels) and the right to foreclose the lien in admiralty. It is not created consensually and there is no requirement that a maritime lien be recorded or otherwise perfected by any filing. A preferred ships mortgage, on the other hand, is a maritime lien that is created consensually, must comply with the requirements of Title 46 of the United States Code and must be recorded at the National Vessel Documentation Center. If a vessel is eligible for federal documentation, the preferred ships mortgage offers the best achievable protection to a lender requiring collateral to secure a debtor's obligations. That protection is not absolute, however, and certain classes of maritime liens, "preferred maritime liens", rank ahead of a preferred ships mortgage.

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By Chris Caswell, PassageMaker.com

Here's some sound advice for your next seller to ensure that their boat is ready for sale. Sometimes the basics are overlooked, but these ten recommendations, coupled with your expertise, know-how and professionalism, will maximize a potential buyer's interest, and your client's success.

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Most buyers in the market for sailing or motor yachts consider fiberglass construction their first choice. However, many are not familiar with the differences in hull construction. The two primary options include solid or cored construction. For both these options, there are multiple techniques. Building methods include conventional hand lay-up, vacuum bagging, and resin infusion. Material choices include woven roving, bi-directional,double-bias,uni-directional and tri-axial. These materials are most commonly fabricated with E-glass yarn because of its moderate cost, strength and stiffness, good chemical resistance and ability to maintain strength properties over a wide range of conditions. Alternative, more costly fibers are S glass, carbon fiber and Kevlar.   Resins used are general purpose, vinylester and epoxy.

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United States Coast Guard Seeks Comment on PFD Labeling

For the last several years, the Coast Guard has been working to redesign the labeling for personal flotation devices to more effectively convey safety information. The current proposal is to remove type codes in regulations on the carriage and labeling of Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices.

The Importance of Surveys

By J. Dirk Schwenk, Baylaw, LLC

I've been spending the summer on boundary disputes in real estate cases and post-purchase damage issues in marine matters.  In those kinds of cases, the survey (or the surveyor) is of great importance, so I put together some thoughts on land surveys and vessel/hull surveys. 

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Make Your Boat Show Exhibit Fun!

By Norm Schultz, Trade Only Today

We know, on average, the majority of boat show attendees travel about one hour to get to a show. They pay for parking and show admission tickets. Talk about qualified customers. Who would do that if they weren't interested in boats? Perhaps that's why we also know from studies that buyers spent an average of 49 minutes in the display of the brand of boat they ultimately purchase.

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